HUP employees have always reached out to make sure that the holidays were special for those less fortunate in the community. This year, though, could have been different. Indeed, with all the loss, anxiety, and sadness brought on by the pandemic, no one would have been surprised if there was just less to give, on many levels.
But that didn't happen. Employees made even more of an effort to surround those in the community with warmth and happiness.
For more than two decades, Holly Days has been a well-known holiday outreach opportunity for staff in patient care units and departments throughout the entire hospital. This year, they "adopted" 22 moms and children from a local shelter, filling wish lists for clothing and toys. Displaced veterans in the Veterans Group received gift cards and donations of clothing and boots, making for a warmer winter. One department donated directly to the shelter — portable cribs and playpens, TVs, and boxes of diapers. And Covenant House, which helps homeless teens, received over $5,700 in gift cards for their clients from generous employees.
In addition, HUP employees also made the holidays happier for 37 senior residents of the Centennial Senior Facility. Donations included warm socks, gloves and blankets!
With help from Phyllis Murray of Administration and Kris Rolland of Materials Management, Anthony Johnson, Mailroom supervisor, packed up the Holly Days gifts and made sure they were delivered to each location. "They were true Santas," said Bonnie Lang, administrative secretary of Materials Management.
"In spite of the year we've had with contact and shopping restrictions due to COVID social distancing, HUP staff managed to coordinate with each other to fulfill the wish lists of their adopted families, gifting them all that they asked for… and more," said Murray, who oversees the yearly outreach program.
In partnership with the HUP Magnet Department and Family Caregiver Center, Rachael Coyle, MSN, nurse manager of Rhoads 1, worked with her local representative's office in South Philadelphia, to oversee a coat drive for the Nationalities Service Center, a local nonprofit that helps immigrants and refugees. "The idea stemmed from a preexisting awareness of the challenges of prioritizing warm clothing for those who face financial challenges and the increasing hurdles that they may face in light of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. They collected over 300 coats, for all ages and sizes.
And, as they've done for over 12 years, the Nursing Network Center collected clothing, gift cards, and "many, many toys," for the Lutheran Settlement House/Jane Addams Place. Overseen by Center director Heather Ross, the holiday drive brought in at least a car load, said Brenda Bradford, nursing resouce specialist in the NNC. "Our nursing staff here at HUP are always so very generous, even in the midst of a pandemic," she said. "Hopefully we made some of the children of West Philadelphia very happy."